Before good and evil, there was no need for redemption. Before redemption, there was no consciousness of gratitude, no joy and relief of forgiveness, no rejoicing over restoration-nor understanding of boundless love. Therefore God, who created everything, breathing intellect, will and emotion into every sentient creation, has planned to better create, indeed to finish His creation, by re-creation; by the fall and the restoration of all; having added within this newness a deep understanding of sacrificial love- the overwhelming beauty of it. He has revealed in Jesus Christ the very root of it, making Himself known through the sacrifice of one so beautiful and precious to Him- and by this sacrifice displaying the purest manifestation of the nature of the one true God who after all, created us only to share with us, to know us, to be known by us, and to dwell with us in a glorious abounding union of immortality and infinite wisdom- within the divine freedom of universal love.

For God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness", is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Where much is forgiven, there is much love.

Good stuff eaglesway!I like this comment by Ray Prinzing

THE INTERPLAY OF GOOD AND EVIL  RAY PRINZING

"God is sovereign, and He controls all the interaction of evil and good, and causes all to redound to His own glory. It is not  what was lost by the fall was to be regained by redemption, BUT by the interaction of FALL AND REDEMPTION, God achieves greater, wiser, nobler, and higher goals than by the Adamic race remaining in its pristine state.

Evil and good are synchronized to accomplish God's will and purpose, so that the ultimate goal shall reveal all evil transformed back into good, and all negation cancelled out by GOOD. Evil is allowed for wise ends, and when these are secured it must cease to exist, for God will restore all things into good. HE controls all the interaction between evil and good until His purpose of the ages is fulfilled. Then shall God be All in all."

"Although a Calvinist myself for more than thirty years, the scriptures declaring God's infinite love, and the plain teachings of Jesus my Lord on the subject of love, mercy and truth, finally sank my theological ship. This left me searching for the truth as it is in Jesus. Finally I was convinced by the overwhelming number of Scriptures that our great God and Heavenly Father truly does, without partiality, love the whole world, and He will in His own time and in His own way finally reconcile all men unto Himself.

Arminianism and Calvinism both represent each other as the method for God's work in salvation, and both vigorously reject the final reconciliation of all men. It is my purpose in this book to point out to my Calvinistic brethren the inconsistency of their interpretation of Scripture." 110

"This is a power packed and mind shaking question!!To wit:How can every creature which is in the heavens and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea and all that are in them (describing every living soul made by God) which includes everyone that has come from every dimension of life or death, or everything that came out from God say, Blessing and honor and glory and power unto the Lamb Jesus Christ the heart of the Father, if they are not all going to be enjoying Him as we who now believe are? Does this not describe and give witness to the day of the reconciliation of all unto God where they came from?"

God will not be defeated in the slightest --- for 'There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God Who worketh all in all (1Cor. 12:6).111

Amen Rodger - just as all of creation groaned when sin entered the world, all creation will rejoice in reconciliation.

THE WAY TO SALVATION IN THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL  ERNEST L. MARTIN"The traditional interpretation of an everlasting hell fire for sinners is as wrong and as senseless as believing that a three dollar bill is legal tender.

Ultimate salvation is something that has been secured by Christ for all mankind without the works of man (either good or bad) being involved in the issue. Everyone will finally be saved and brought to a full knowledge of the truth of God. All humans will finally be forgiven for their sins and they will become reconciled to God. All things in the heavens, on earth and under the earth (the angels who are kept in chains in the bowels of the earth) will one day proclaim the Lordship of Christ to the glory of God the Father.

But it will not only be all humans who are reconciled to God (now that God has reconciled Himself to mankind). The reconciliation will reach out to embrace all the hostile powers which have been out of harmony with God over the centuries. There is prophesied, according to Paul, a full reconciliation between all the antagonistic beings throughout the universe. Even they will be reconciled amongst themselves,Between themselves and mankind, and between themselves and God the Father (Col. 1:20). All grievances, both divine and human, are disposed of through the life and death of Christ our Saviour. Peace has been, or will be established between all hostile parties throughout the universe. 112

Amen Rodger - just as all of creation groaned when sin entered the world, all creation will rejoice in reconciliation.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Rev 5:13)

"When one looks at the first 500 years of Christianity, not one creed even hinted at "Eternal Torment;" not one creed denied "Universal Restoration;" no church council condemned "Universal Restoration."

When one looks at the lives of those church leaders who brought the doctrine of "Eternal Torment" into the church, we find a long string of envyings, power plays, persecutions, character assassinations, book burnings, murders, and tortures. They became like the god they created  tormentors and murderers! They exchanged the truth for a lie and brought darkness to the world  the Dark Ages." 113

On the way to becoming a teacher of UR I said to myself, "A good way to determine the validity of anything, or lack thereof, is to examine its beginnings"- and so I did, and the historical study I embarked upon was a primary foundation stone of my understanding of UR, and gaining the courage to boldly proclaim it.

ETERNAL DEATH  ONE STEP OUT OF HELL, ONE STEP SHORT OF GLORY - GARY AMIRAULT

"When it comes to the final destination of the wicked, or unrighteous, Christians over the past two millenniums have divided themselves into three beliefs: 1. Eternal Torment, 2. Eternal Death (annihilationism), and 3. Salvation of the whole world through Jesus Christ. Each of these views can be supported with Scriptures. Having been in all three groups, I know there are sincere Bible centered believers in all of them. Obviously, all three cannot be true. Two of them have to be false.

This is a writing showing that the Doctrine of Eternal Death finds no support in the Greek or Hebrew texts. While the teaching makes the Christian God more loving and merciful than the Doctrine of Eternal Torment, there is a much more Scriptural way of proving that our Father's mercy extends far beyond "Eternal Death," or "Eternal Punishment."

"Christian leaders have locked themselves into the teaching that the King James Bible is 'the inerrant' translation of the so-called original texts. They say the 66 books of the present King James Bible are inerrant, but they don't tell you it lacks 14 entire books which were in the original King James of 1611. They don't tell you the King James Bible has been changed many times in the last 350 years, and there have been thousands of corrections!

This world needs to be set free of false images and concepts of our wonderful Father. Please meditate on this very thoughtfully and prayerfully. If eternal torment is the penalty for sin and the Creator did not want anyone ending up there, then it should stand to reason that He would make the warning as absolutely clear as He could make it to all mankind, past, present, and future. But the fact of the matter is that thousands upon thousands were born after Adam and they were never warned. Read the prophets and you will not find a place of eternal torment for the wicked. If the Creator loved us and created such a horrible place, He would surely have plastered the warning everywhere. The KJV has the phrase 'everlasting punishment' only once. Yet, when looking at those words in the Greek, even those two references turn out to be 'age-during correction.' Again we ask, if eternal torment be the horrible fate of most of mankind, why such a little warning?

The Scriptures tell us the mind of man cannot conceive the height, length, depth, and width of our Father's love for His creation. His ways are much higher than our in all areas, including His justice, love, and wisdom. He wounds, but like a doctor, to bring about healing. He says 'Vengeance is Mine' knowing only He can return good for evil, an innocent life for a guilty one. He overcomes His enemies with good and tells you to do the same. His love never fails. Believe it. It will never fail anyone, including you. You can now enter into your rest. 'For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth, of things in the heavens (Col. 1:20).115

"Orthodox theology holds the second death to be a state of endless torment in which the sufferers are held forever in conscious being by a continuous act of Divine preservation, with the soul object of a punishment without end. This however would in no sense be death. The second death does not perpetuate the hopeless condition of the sinner to all eternity.

What the Holy Spirit mean by 'fire and brimstone' is 'divine purification,' or a judgment fire which consumes all that is antagonistic to divine law and love.

Before the Great White Throne, that vast throng, their naked spirits conscious now of the blazing holiness of God, will be subjected to the process of the second death. What those processes are, their intensity and their duration, we are not told. They will suffice, however, not in themselves to perfect, but to bring those who suffer them to that agreement with the judgment upon sin which they effect, and through the cross finally to reconcile them to God (Col. 1:20), in a subjection where He will be 'All in all.' When that acquiescence in judgment upon sin is reached, and applied in soul and spirit, then will be possible the final victory over death. Hence it is written that when this subjection is reached, then and only then, 'the last enemy, death, shall be destroyed.' "116

"God is a despot. Paul in Ephesians 1:11, speaks of 'the purpose of the One Who is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will.' Yes, God exercise a despotic sway over the whole universe, but we are thankful for this because He is Love. Though He will brook no opposition to the furtherance of His purpose, He is never a tyrant. When He inflicts evil upon any, it is always in order that good may follow. His sovereign will is the ultimate salvation and blessing of all, that He may be All in all.

For all creation in its need,The future is engravedIn words of life, for all to read,'In grace shall you be saved.'

Let every mental conflict cease,Let every barrier fall,For grace removes each bar to peaceTill Thou art All in all.

O God, how glorious is Thy grace!How radiantly divine!It stretches out its wide embrace,To make all creatures Thine.

When God is All in all, the whole creation will have become His achievement, and every member will be a beneficiary of His OVERWHELMING GRACE."117

"Love conquers all, for it is the love of God that allows humanity to see its frailty that in the bitter dregs it may choose life. I thank the Lord that the plan of redemption wasn't a stop gap measure but a well thought out plan that in the fullness of time, all will have Christ as their head. Victory in Jesus!

Before creation there was no time. Since creation there has been time. But with the consummation of things and God becoming All in all, time will end, and sin, which is limited by time shall end. Yet, God and creation shall go on.

If God cannot surmount the evil in the world and turn it all into good, then there is a power equal and opposite to Him. But sin isn't eternal. The cross of Calvary isn't a 'hope so' move by God, but rather, a well conceived thought out solution to the problem of sin. There is an end to sin and to the death it causes. All shall be swallowed up into victory. Some, God has planned to accept Him now. Others, like Pharaoh, He hardens their heart. But being a righteous Judge He will show wrath on those who need it to cleanse them of their fallen nature.

The plan of God is such that His grace, that unmerited favor, will cause man and all of creation to be restored. Great was the joy of the father for the return of his son. How much more so will God be rejoicing at the restitution of all.

A father never beats a child to death for wrong, but corrects and loves regardless. Even so is our Heavenly Father. The mercy and love of God is to be so revealed that Jesus shall be All in all.

The purpose for the present is to save some. The purpose for the future is to save all. Because men have failed to see and understand the doctrine of election, it has propagated false ideas of salvation. Even he who dies in sin shall be saved as by fire. Victorious grace covers a larger redemption than many would consider."118

A Plan of Ages which we are in the midst of, looking forward to the blessed hope and our adoption as sons.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:4-10)

A Plan of Ages which we are in the midst of, looking forward to the blessed hope and our adoption as sons.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:4-10)

JUSTIFICATION  DONALD G. HAYTER

"Although God introduced sin through the agency of His creatures, yet He did not sin in so doing. For it was no mistake, no failure of His. It was in accord with His intention, and it will be justified by the beneficial results obtained through its agency.God is justified in all He does, for His final intention to glorify Himself and bless all of His creatures is the dominating purpose which adds luster to all His eonian operations.In the brilliant glory of His ultimate, the most somber and gloomy features of earth's history are transformed into a brilliant display of His power, wisdom, and love.

During the final eons, every creature in the heavens, and on earth, and under the earth, will have learned of the sufferings of the Christ, and of the depths of the Father's love revealed in them. And every knee will bow to Him Who died, acclaiming Him Lord, for the glory of God the Father. Very feebly we can enter into the joy, the satisfaction, the thankfulness that will be His as He views the vast potentials of love and adoration that will be pulsing within the heart of everyone.

Thus will all ultimately be justified. God's matchless wisdom, serving in the cause of His love, has produced a method of salvation that calls forth the adoring wonder of our hearts. What a God we have!"119

"Heb. 11:3 should read, 'Through faith we understand that the ages were planned by the Word of God.' The ages will collectively end. A literal translation of Heb. 9:16 is, 'But now, once for all, with a view to the end of the ages, hath He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.' (Alexander Thompson's translation)

Throughout the eons there is sin and evil, condemnation and death. At the end of the eons, all will be reconciled through Christ's blood (Col. 1:20). Only as one sees the plan of the ages does he see the beauty of God's Program for the redemption of the race. When you perceive the truth concerning the ages your Bible will become a new and more wonderful Book than you knew you had."120

"Our popular English Bible carries the name of an earthly monarch and so bears mute testimony to the influence the English King had over the translators. His directive to 'do nothing that will disturb the tranquility of the church', appears to have been taken very seriously by the translators since they often chose to interpret certain Greek words to support then current church doctrine, rather than render a faithful and consistent translation of the original.

I must confess to the admiration I feel for the absolute brilliance of Satan's cunning and strategy. He has effectively polluted the entire fountain of truth from which Christians drink by causing confusion in the meaning of the single word aion, and its adjective aionios. It does not seem that this single word could be so important as to produce calamitous results, but it is just here that we see the utter genius of our adversary. Perhaps no other word, erroneously translated, could cause such widespread confusion and distortion of the truth. Practically all Christian doctrine is affected: the purposes of God, the nature of God, judgment, man's destiny, and salvation  to say nothing of its effect upon our concept of the very God we worship and the way we treat one another as Christians, and the world at large."

BERT BAUMAN continues, "The doctrine of eternal torment is not found in the Scripture but the teaching of judgment certainly is. But why judgment? Is it a matter of God's vengeance only? The scriptures suggest that God's judgments are desirable but not necessarily enjoyable. It is never pleasant to be judged, but the fruit of judgment is desirable. Correction produces righteousness which yields the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, while the chastening is unpleasant, the results are a blessing. Out of love for His creatures, God chastens, and corrects. He judges His creatures for their own good.

Did not Jesus teach us to love and do good even to our enemies? And while He admonishes us to be perfect even as our heavenly Father, would our Father be less than we are expected to be? Can love pour out vengeance for its own gratification, or judge to satisfy its own sense of justice? The result of God's judgments must ultimately be profitable and beneficial to the one being punished, 'for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them' (Luke 9:56)."121